Kevin D. Young, who most recently served as senior pastor of the Linden United Methodist Church in the Northeast Texas town of Linden, has been appointed senior pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Lubbock.

Archie Echols, senior pastor at St. John’s, is retiring after a 47-year ministry. His concluding sermon will be Sunday, and he will continue to live in Lubbock.

Young, who plans to formally begin his ministry at St. John’s on June 24, attended Monterey High School while his father was a music minister at the 25th Street Baptist Church.

“I was not even a Methodist at that time,” Young said in a recent telephone interview. “I began to look into it, and one thing led to another, and I made the switch back in the late 1980s.”

Referring to St. John’s, he said, “I haven’t been in the church except to just visit with staff. I’m not coming here with an agenda of my own. I’m coming here to get to know this congregation and to learn what its hopes and dreams are, and then we will start to talk about how things look a little further down the road.”

He added, “We are very excited to be here. It feels like coming home to me. St. John’s is a very exciting congregation, and we just feel so proud and so honored to be coming here. We can’t wait to get started.”

Mary Jane Hurst, staff-parish relations chairwoman of the church, said Young doesn’t come from the local district of the United Methodist Church.

“The Methodist Church assigns pastors, and they usually assign them within their group, but Kevin is coming to us from another area of Texas. So, we are thrilled that he is coming, and he has a lot of enthusiasm and concern for the community, which is an important issue for St. John’s,” she said.

According to Hurst, the church has had a ministry to the homeless during the years Echols has been senior pastor.

“I’m so fond of Archie, and have appreciated his care and concern for the church. The amazing thing about Archie, is even after 47 years of ministry, he has an enormous enthusiasm for his sermons and for caring for people across Lubbock. He’s not tired of it, not weary or jaded. He really cares.”

She added, “On Tuesdays, the (homeless) people can come and get food vouchers for the food bank. They can get legal counseling, referrals for different community services. We are participants in the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which is providing shelter for the homeless.”

Daniel Echols, associate pastor at St. John’s for five years, said he is proud of his father’s many years of service.

“It has been very good to work with him,” he said.

Archie Echols, who was away at camp and unreachable by mobile phone while information for the story was being gathered, plans to spend some time traveling in retirement, according to Daniel Echols.

“For the immediate future, he intends to stay here in Lubbock. He does love to travel, so I figure he will be headed to the mountains of Colorado often, and to see the grandkids and those sorts of things,” Daniel Echols said.